This is the first U.K. rap track to blow up in 2018

Ramz’s “Barking” is an addictive earworm making its way into the mainstream.

Ramz is set to enter the top 10 in the Official U.K. Singles Chart later today, January 5. The song responsible for putting 20-year-old Ramone Rochester alongside Ed Sheeran and Eminem is "Barking," a cheeky track about meeting up with someone from the other side of the city after messaging online. Over a lilting, Afro-Trap-style, production Ramz talks about how he "might link my ting from Barking" a small area on the outskirts of his native London. Early morning conversations follow ("7am in the morning, She's callin', I'm yawnin'") before he gets a haircut and brushes his "Colgate teeth," aiming to impress when they meet up for the first time.

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His keen ear for melody is what makes "Barking" work the most though. Ramz has spoken about the early stages of the song when he asked his producer for "a Mostack-type, J Hus beat" and you can see the similarities between his work and those fellow U.K. breakout artists. "Barking" was a viral hit when it came out in September 2017, but has taken a little longer to reach the mainstream. He signed a deal with Polydor once the independently released song reached 1m YouTube views, taking Ramz from a job in his local branch of the Sainsbury's supermarket to being a major label artist. 2018 is looking bright for the rapper, even if it means he gets to spend less time in the London suburbs than he might like.